


love foolish

by unagis



Category: AFTER LIFE 소원을 담는 만화경 | AFTER LIFE: The Sacred Kaleidoscope (Visual Novel)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Moral Dilemmas, Reader-Insert, Yandere, oh boy how do i even tag this, spoilers for theo's "i'm right here" personal story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:28:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25999015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unagis/pseuds/unagis
Summary: It had occurred to you on multiple occasions that Theo might be dangerous. You just couldn’t pinpoint why.
Relationships: Manager/Theo (AFTER LIFE: The Sacred Kaleidoscope), Reader/Theo (AFTER LIFE: The Sacred Kaleidoscope)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 37





	love foolish

There was a certain feeling of discomfort in your gut as you stared at Theo from the other side of the room. Almost instinctively, as if he felt your gaze, he turned in your direction to smile politely at you. His light cyan eyes met yours, and you immediately looked away. Your heart thundered in your chest, but not for the reason you were expecting. No, this was different. This was a heavy sense of unease. 

It didn’t matter how hard or how long you tried to turn a blind eye to this issue, you couldn’t help but notice something was off. Not that you could place a name to this strange, foreign sense of knowing lodged deep in your conscience, deep enough that you had to actively search for it if you wanted to uncover it amongst the plethora of other concerns you had on your mind. 

But this was Theo, your brain not-so-helpfully reminded you. This was Theo, one of the twenty Soul Reapers you were tasked with managing—sweet and well-mannered Theo, who was a bit of a clean freak at times, who also had a bit of a perfectionist streak, which, given his nature and upbringing, you really weren’t that surprised. 

Still, you couldn’t help but think all these characterizations barely scratched the surface. If anything, they were merely a mask, a pleasant front, hiding something far more sinister underneath. Theo seemed to know you the most out of everyone in the dorms, but it scared you how little you actually knew about him. 

“Is something wrong, Miss Manager?” he called over to you, catching you off guard as he crossed the room in a few strides. 

Quick, is your first thought. He was quicker than you had expected. Did Theo normally move that fast, or were you being paranoid? 

It seemed that you stalled too long trying to come up with an adequate response because Theo was quick to follow up his question with another. His eyes never left yours even when you so desperately wished to look away. 

“Are you feeling unwell?” he asked. 

He tugged off a glove in one clean, fluid motion before pressing the palm of his hand to your forehead. Your heart sped up in your chest at the motion, and you tried to direct your focus elsewhere so you would feel less panicked when you realized only you and Theo remained in the room. Blood violently roared in your ears, and you commended yourself for appearing so nonchalant in a time where you felt like a cornered animal desperate for an escape. 

Every single muscle in your body tensed with apprehension as you pulled off what you believed was your best carefree laugh. Brushing off his hand, you observed as Theo’s prying eyes darkened a shade into an alluring teal that sent a shiver down your spine. 

“I’m a little tired, but I’ll be fine,” you lied. “The last mission was a bit taxing, having to run around the school and all.” 

He smiled, but you couldn’t help but think that it didn’t reach his eyes. “Is that so? Then, you should rest. I’ll walk you to your room.” 

“Th—” your voice cracked, and you internally winced. “That won’t be necessary. You should take care of yourself too, Theo.” 

Theo regarded you oddly after your last sentence, and you swallowed despite knowing how dry your mouth felt. You didn’t like worrying him. His concern and consideration often was like a double-edged sword. If you weren’t too careful, you were going to hurt yourself. If you weren’t too careful, you were going to hurt others. 

There’s something deceptively dangerous about him that you couldn’t quite place, but you’re aware that it’s there and that it lurked underneath his gentle demeanor. 

You were in way over your head in the worst possible manner. Because now you’ve released a monster that you didn’t know if you could contain. 

But like the clouds parting for the sun after a long and heavy rainfall, your thoughts completely ceased as a brief moment of clarity washed over you. Now that you thought about it, all your discomfort stemmed from one single instance. It had been during your infiltration at the International Art School. The moment was freshly engraved in your mind, and you didn’t think you would ever forget about it anytime soon. 

Right, it was from that time when everything fell apart. 

* * *

“ _I promise I will not make you worry and do well in the assignment_ ,” were the words Theo had left you with when you asked him why he seemed upset the day before the mission. 

It wouldn’t be the first time, or the last, where you had felt completely at a loss in the face of Theo’s emotions. The one thing that had stuck with you was that unusually frightening expression on his face right after he turned to leave. 

You had been meaning to apologize to him and make amends, but he merely greeted you in a way that caused you to feel anxious. Then, when you had followed him to class to try and talk to him again, you were roped into the lesson as soon as the bell rang. You would consider that one of the most nerve wracking hours of your life had you not experience Theo’s cold shoulder beforehand. 

During the entire lesson, you couldn’t focus as your attention darted from the teacher, to Theo, and finally to the boy who glared daggers at the back of Theo’s head the duration of the class period. When class finished, you attempted one last ditch effort into talking to Theo by taking him out of the class before trouble started, but your efforts were all in vain as the student kicked a desk making you nearly jump out of your skin. 

The look in Theo’s eyes alone made you wish that you had been in a different classroom altogether. 

Luckily, the problem was deescalated thanks to your quick thinking, and you managed to find some kind of closure with Theo that resulted in some extremely awkward PDA but all’s well that ends well. Later you heard the sound of ambulance sirens and a chilling rumor being spread that some guy, who wasn’t really liked by the other students, fell down the stairs.

It had to be a coincidence of sorts, but somehow, the flash of anger in Theo’s eyes stayed with you long after you returned to the dorms. 

* * *

You breathed in deeply, shaking off some of your doubts and suspicions. Even if the student who had confronted Theo in the classroom and the one that fell down the stairs were the same person, there was no evidence that his accident had anything to do with Theo. You needed to be rational in a situation like this. There was no way Theo would do anything to compromise or sabotage the mission. It was simply an accident. An _accident_. 

The haunting image of frigid blue eyes appeared in your memories once more.

“Actually,” you began after a moment of thoughtful contemplation. When you met his stare, you noticed that you no longer felt as jittery as before. “I have something to ask you.” 

“Is this about the previous assignment?” 

You flinched almost immediately, not quite expecting him to hit the nail on the head that quickly. Steeling your nerves, you nodded. 

“Theo, you’re not... hiding anything from me, are you?” 

“Miss Manager, is this about our conversation outside the classroom?” Theo met your gaze warmly as he held both your hands in his own. “I meant it when I said I would be careful.” 

What did he mean by that? Did he mean that he would be careful in covering up his tracks, or careful about staying out of trouble? Why was it that Theo was unreadable at the worst of times? 

You squeezed your eyes shut, feeling the incoming headache about to ensue. Maybe, just maybe, you were overthinking things. You were tired and stressed after all the days leading up the mission day, and it wasn’t a good combination. Feeling more exhausted than ever, you teetered back a couple steps before regaining your balance. Theo’s worried expression hadn’t been lost to you as a weak chuckle spilled from your lips followed by your resignation. 

“Alright,” you relented. “Sorry for the questions, I was only concerned. I’ll go catch some sleep now. I’ll see you later, Theo.” 

Before you could free your hands from his, he’s quick to plant a chaste kiss against the palm of your hand. When he leaned back, your hands were about as warm as your face as they fell back down to your sides. 

“Rest well,” he said as his lips curved into a soft smile. 

You reciprocate the gesture with a tired one of your own before you turned and exited the room. As the door clicked shut behind you, all you could feel was Theo’s stare boring into your back. 

Yeah, you’re definitely tired. That’s all.

**Author's Note:**

> theo is one of my favs but seriously if i knew a person like him irl he would make me very, very uncomfortable. partly bc i feel as if every move i make would be picked apart and partly bc every conversation with him would feel like a mind game
> 
> i guess all i’m trying to say is yes the fic title is a twice song and no you shouldn’t romanticize yandere behavior. stay safe and make smart choices :)


End file.
